Magnificent Magee

“Why has he never played for America,” Keane asked. “Has he been overlooked? Has he been considered? Have people mentioned him? Has the press mentioned him? No? Because he’s in this league as well. He does well in this league.”

Indeed he does, and on Sunday, Magee became just the fourth MLS player to post an opening-day hat trick. The 28-year-old attacker, known recently for his clutch playoff performances, was in devastating form as LA torched the Chicago Fire, 4-0, shortly after receiving their 2012 championship rings at The Home Depot Center.

David Beckham is gone and Landon Donovan isn’t expected back until the end of the month, but the Galaxy didn’t miss a beat. Magee played up front with Keane instead of in the wide midfield spot he occupied for much of last year and was a constant thorn in the Fire’s side.

Magee opened the scoring in the 38th minute with an alert volley that beat Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson. His smart and energetic movement off the ball led to two more golden opportunities early in the second half, and he finally double his total in the 68th when he received a pass from Keane on the right side of the penalty area and calmly ripped a shot into the net’s upper left corner.

Magee had his hat trick six minutes later when he knocked down a rebound from Johnson and, while running to his left, hit a no-look left-footed shot back to the right.

All three goals came on clinical finishes that highlighted Magee’s opportunism and technique. The Galaxy’s supporting cast is consistently underrated, despite the rising respect for defender Omar Gonzalez. Juninho and Marcelo Sarvas locked down the midfield and neutralized Chicago on Saturday and Todd Dunivant remains one of the league’s best outside backs.

And then there’s Magee, the ultimate utility man, who’s never played for the senior U.S. national team but who’s been an integral part of two consecutive MLS Cup championships. In Keane’s eyes, at least, Magee is an international caliber player. He’ll do what he’s called upon to do — he’s even played in goal -- and on Sunday the Galaxy needed a finisher.

“Getting the hat trick was cool, getting the win was cool,” Magee said. “And, the best part of the day was getting the ring. So, it was an okay day.”

Said Keane, “You see the quality that he has. The three goals he scored were exceptional goals. He’s really important to this team, and he showed that today.”

Surprising in Seattle

The weekend’s most surprising result – as well as its best goal – occurred Saturday night in Seattle as the second-year Montreal Impact defeated the Sounders, 1-0, on a spectacular strike by veteran midfielder Davy Arnaud.

"Not many teams win here,” new Montreal coach Marco Schällibaum said. Seattle’s home-field advantage – nearly 39,000 fans showed up at CenturyLink Field – is significant, but so were the Impact’s struggles on the road last year. Montreal won only two of 17 MLS matches away from home.

There’s some continuity with the Impact this year and a good deal of veteran seasoning. Even though the Sounders carried much of the play on Saturday, they failed to finish their chances while the composed Impact held their nerve. Seven of Schällibaum’s 11 starters were over 30 years old and only two, defender Jeb Brovsky and midfielder Felipe Martins, were younger than 28.

"We have a good group of guys who have played a lot of tough games together now,” Arnaud said.

The captain lifted the Impact to victory with a strike that surely will be in the goal of the year running in eight months. He settled a looping pass from Felipe and poked an audacious chip over Sounders goalkeeper Michael Gspurning from just outside the penalty area.

Whether Montreal’s aging lineup will hold up over a 34-game regular season remains to be seen, but Saturday’s win demonstrated that this is a patient, well-organized team capable of managing a game, making life difficult for the opposition and stealing points outside of Quebec.

"We kept our focus, even during difficult minutes like we did in camp, and we showed our character," midfielder Patrice Bernier told reporters. "We did well despite the pressure by Seattle. We managed a win on the road and that will give us confidence for next week."

The Union must resolve the Adu situation as soon as possible. Philadelphia doesn’t want the 23-year-old attacker back at the reported $600,000 he was scheduled to make this year and Adu refused a pay cut. So he sits idly while the Union misses out on spending that money elsewhere.

Coach John Hackworth’s decision to bolster Philadelphia’s youthful lineup with veterans like Sébastien Le Toux, Jeff Parke and Conor Casey suggests that the club isn’t content to spend 2013 waiting for its young core to develop. But the manager is handcuffed by the inability to use the money and designated player slot currently occupied by Adu. The Union needs an injection of quality.

“If we execute on the chances that we have I think we walk into half time up two, maybe three goals, and that unfortunately didn't happen,” Hackworth said following the loss at PPL Park. “I'm looking at the stats. We have 17 attempts on goal. They have seven. We pushed the game the right way and did what we wanted to do. At the end of the day we didn’t execute."

Perhaps a DP who’s actually in uniform would help. At some point, the Union may have to bite the bullet and offer to buy out Adu.

Chivas coach José Luis Sanchéz Solá was tinkering with his roster right up until kickoff in an effort to cut the budget while fulfilling owner Jorge Vergara’s vision of a team comprised of Latino players. If it’s going to work – and it probably won’t – it’s going to take a while.

But Vergara had half a year to sell that vision to fans in Southern California. He took full control of the club in August and appointed new management in October. And yet with all that time to prepare, Chivas managed to attract only 7,121 fans on Saturday. That announced crowd already represents the smallest turnout for a home opener in MLS history, but anyone watching on TV probably would wager that the actual total was closer to half that number.

Sports Illustrated reported late Sunday that only 2,700 tickets were sold for Saturday’s game. Another 2,100 were given away.

The attendance is an indictment of Vergara’s vision. Despite all the evidence to the contrary, he still believes that an MLS club whose name and logo pay tribute to a team from Guadalajara – one that half of Mexico despises and to which many U.S.-born Latinos have no first-hand connection -- will attract fans simply by taking the field.

After eight full seasons, seven coaches, four trips to the playoffs (which now seem like ancient history) and no progress, the league’s investors must be ready to ask whether it’s time to consider pulling the plug. Chivas USA ranked last in average attendance in 2012.

“We believe in a second team in Los Angeles,” MLS commissioner Don Garber told reporters on Saturday. “We originally, in 2005, came up with this concept of having a club that was connected with Mexico. It hasn’t turned out quite the way that we had hoped. … Certainly if (attendance) doesn’t grow beyond what I have heard I would be concerned about that.”

Porterland

The Timbers fell behind, 3-1, thanks in large part to a shaky defense that beat itself. But the hosts didn’t fold and instead mustered the energy and confidence to dominate New York in the second half. Portland’s relentless attack was engineered by new DP playmaker Diego Valeri, who Porter said was “worth every penny,” and forward Darlington Nagbe, a former No. 1 draft pick now reunited with his college coach. Portland put the reeling Red Bulls under incessant pressure in an electric final 45 minutes, halved its disadvantage in the 56th on a goal from Nagbe then tied it after forcing an own goal from New York’s Jámison Olave.

New York, with its back to the Timbers Army, barely hung on for the point. For Portland fans who endured a miserable 2012, Sunday night’s come-from-behind draw might have felt like a victory. But Porter, who built a dynasty at the University of Akron, is keeping expectations high. In the midst of a celebratory atmosphere at Jeld-Wen, his very first words in his first post-game interview as a pro coach were, “I’m disappointed we didn’t win.”

Timbers fans held a large “Porterland” sign aloft, revealing a faith in the new manager that Nagbe, the former Akron star, said already exists in the locker room.

“It helps a lot,” he told ESPN when asked about playing under Porter. “I’m more comfortable with him and all of the players are more comfortable with him also. We have a bunch of fighters.”